Science Fiction Trilogy
Dates: 4/17/01,10:01 PM through 4/19/01,10:47 AM (11 postings)
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Science Fiction Trilogy
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FROM: "Phyllis Fassler" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 4/17/01, 10:01 PM
Phyllis Fassler
_________________________________________________________________
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FROM: "Smith, Jeff" <[removed]@marshall.usc.edu>
REC'D: 4/17/01, 10:11 PM
Jeff Smith
-----Original Message-----
From: Phyllis Fassler [[removed]@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 7:56 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Science Fiction Trilogy
A patron at the library I work at requested help in finding a science
fiction trilogy that he had heard about. Unfortunately, I know very little
about science fiction and was wondering if someone might be able to help.
He mentioned that it dealt with the Trantorian Empire(hope I spelled it
right). He also said it described something called psycho history which
deals with predicting the future.
Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Phyllis Fassler
FROM: "Smith, Jeff" <[removed]@marshall.usc.edu>
REC'D: 4/17/01, 10:11 PM
Jeff Smith
-----Original Message-----
From: Phyllis Fassler [[removed]@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 7:56 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Science Fiction Trilogy
A patron at the library I work at requested help in finding a science
fiction trilogy that he had heard about. Unfortunately, I know very little
about science fiction and was wondering if someone might be able to help.
He mentioned that it dealt with the Trantorian Empire(hope I spelled it
right). He also said it described something called psycho history which
deals with predicting the future.
Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Phyllis Fassler
FROM: Diana Herald <[removed]@wic.net>
REC'D: 4/17/01, 10:22 PM
Happy reading,
Diana Tixier Herald
[removed]@wic.net
http://www.genrefluent.com
FROM: [removed]@aol.com
REC'D: 4/18/01, 1:04 AM
The Trantorian Empire is a trilogy consisting of:
Pebble in the Sky
The Stars, Like Dust
The Currents of Space
Binnie Syril Braunstein
romance novelist/former librarian
In a message dated 4/17/2001 10:58:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[removed]@hotmail.com writes:
<<
A patron at the library I work at requested help in finding a science
fiction trilogy that he had heard about. Unfortunately, I know very little
about science fiction and was wondering if someone might be able to help.
He mentioned that it dealt with the Trantorian Empire(hope I spelled it
right). He also said it described something called psycho history which
deals with predicting the future.
Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Phyllis Fassler
___________________________________________ >>
FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 4/18/01, 11:21 AM
>From: "Smith, Jeff" <[removed]@marshall.usc.edu>
>Reply-To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>To: Fiction_L <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>Subject: FW: Science Fiction Trilogy
>Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 20:09:15 -0700
>
>
>Could it be the "Foundation" trilogy, by Isaac Asimov?
>
>Jeff Smith
>
>
I think so too. "Foundation" centers on a new science, "psychohistory,"
invented by Hari Selden. (Am I right, Dennis?)
_________________________________________________________________
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FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 4/18/01, 11:21 AM
>From: "Smith, Jeff" <[removed]@marshall.usc.edu>
>Reply-To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>To: Fiction_L <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>Subject: FW: Science Fiction Trilogy
>Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 20:09:15 -0700
>
>
>Could it be the "Foundation" trilogy, by Isaac Asimov?
>
>Jeff Smith
>
>
I think so too. "Foundation" centers on a new science, "psychohistory,"
invented by Hari Selden. (Am I right, Dennis?)
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
FROM: "Sarah Stein" <[removed]@denver.lib.co.us>
REC'D: 4/18/01, 2:45 PM
Sarah
Sarah Stein
Senior Special Collections Librarian
Denver Public Library
Denver, Colorado, USA
[removed]@denver.lib.co.us
>>> [removed]@aol.com 04/17/01 11:57PM >>>
I'm sure Dennis Lien can give you more information, but in the mean time,
according to the Asimov bibliography in the following url:
http://www.sffworld.com/authors/a/asimov_isaac/
The Trantorian Empire is a trilogy consisting of:
Pebble in the Sky
The Stars, Like Dust
The Currents of Space
Binnie Syril Braunstein
romance novelist/former librarian
In a message dated 4/17/2001 10:58:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[removed]@hotmail.com writes:
<<
A patron at the library I work at requested help in finding a science
fiction trilogy that he had heard about. Unfortunately, I know very little
about science fiction and was wondering if someone might be able to help.
He mentioned that it dealt with the Trantorian Empire(hope I spelled it
right). He also said it described something called psycho history which
deals with predicting the future.
Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Phyllis Fassler
___________________________________________ >>
FROM: "Brad Scott" <[removed]@ci.allen.tx.us>
REC'D: 4/18/01, 3:06 PM
The patron may very well end up reading all of them anyway!
Bradley A. Scott
Allen (Texas) Public Library
** All opinions are personal. **
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: [removed]@aol.com
Reply-To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 01:57:53 EDT
>I'm sure Dennis Lien can give you more information, but in the mean time,
>according to the Asimov bibliography in the following url:
>http://www.sffworld.com/authors/a/asimov_isaac/
>
>The Trantorian Empire is a trilogy consisting of:
>Pebble in the Sky
>The Stars, Like Dust
>The Currents of Space
>
>Binnie Syril Braunstein
>romance novelist/former librarian
>
>
>In a message dated 4/17/2001 10:58:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[removed]@hotmail.com writes:
>
><<
> A patron at the library I work at requested help in finding a science
> fiction trilogy that he had heard about. Unfortunately, I know very little
> about science fiction and was wondering if someone might be able to help.
> He mentioned that it dealt with the Trantorian Empire(hope I spelled it
> right). He also said it described something called psycho history which
> deals with predicting the future.
> Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Phyllis Fassler
> ___________________________________________ >>
>
>......................................................................
>Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
>Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
>
FROM: "Sarah Stein" <[removed]@denver.lib.co.us>
REC'D: 4/18/01, 3:37 PM
Sarah Stein
Senior Special Collections Librarian
Denver Public Library
Denver, Colorado, USA
[removed]@denver.lib.co.us
>>> [removed]@wic.net 04/17/01 09:20PM >>>
Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy (which is much longer than three
books).
True, but if the patron read it a long time ago (in the 1950s when I did for example) there were only 3.
Sarah
FROM: Dennis Lien <[removed]@tc.umn.edu>
REC'D: 4/19/01, 10:47 AM
As several people have already noted (I wasn't at work yesterday to
jump on this one), the "Trantorian Empire" trilogy is composed of
THE STARS, LIKE DUST / THE CURRENTS OF SPACE / and PEBBLE IN THE SKY.
However, I suspect what your client is really seeking is the "original"
"Foundation Trilogy," composed of FOUNDATION / FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE /
and SECOND FOUNDATION. These are the (original) Asimov stories based
around character Hari Seldon and his theories of "Psychohistory." At
the beginning of the Foundation series, the galaxy-spanning empire
whose headquarters is the world of Trantor is decadent and about to
collapse; said collapse will bring about many centuries of a new
"Dark Ages." The Psychohistorians, enabled by Seldon's theories to
predict actions of masses of humans to a high degree of accuracy,
foresee this problem and set about guiding events to attempt to cut
the "downtime" to a minimum; they are opposed in this by various
factions that believe no problem is imminent, or that are out only
for themselves, or (in the case of The Mule, a mutant "wildcard"
who is the antagonist of the second book) threaten to overthrown
the basis of Psychohistory itself by introducing unpredictability
factors not foreseen by the by-then-long-deceased Seldon. In the
last book, the existence of the Psychohistorian plan and their
base on an unknown "second foundation" world is itself considered
a problem to be eliminated by the growing new civilization.
The "Trantorian Empire" books were published after most of the
Foundation stories (which first appeared as a series of short
stories and novellas in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION between 1942
and 1949; they were first published in book form by Gnome Press
in 1951-1953): PEBBLE IN THE SKY appeared in 1950; THE STARS
LIKE DUST was serialized in GALAXY in 1951 and THE CURRENTS OF
SPACE in ASTOUNDING in 1952; these appeared in book form (from
Doubleday) between 1950-1952.
The Trantorian Empire books take place long before the Foundation
trilogy proper (centuries? I don't recall offhand), when the
empire was a going concern. A true completist will probably want
to read them as well, but to a casual reader (e.g. me when I read
them decades ago) there really isn't that much connection with
the Foundation stories. (No mention of Psychohistory, most
obviously, since at the time of these stories Hari Seldon had not
yet been born...)
Late in his career, Asimov went back to both his Foundation stories
and his later Robots stories and wrote new prequels and sequels
tying these two previously very different futures into one allegedly
consistent long series. The new books got lackluster reviews in the
field and are generally considered a Bad Idea; I've never bothered
to read them. After his death, a new "Second Foundation" trilogy
was commissioned by Asimov's widow and the estate and written by
Greg Benford, Greg Bear, and David Brin (one book apiece). I've not
read these either.
What this amounts to is:
Your client probably wants the original "Foundation Trilogy," given the
mention of Psychohistory. It's possible but less likely that he wants
the Trantorian Empire trilogy, which has loose connections to the
Foundation trilogy (but no Psychohistory).
If he gets really interested and wants to read every related scrap,
the order of internal chronology is given below from this website:
***************************
http://www.clark.net/pub/edseiler/WWW/asimov_FAQ.html#series5
In the Author's Note at the beginning of Prelude to Foundation, Asimov says:
"In any case, the situation has become sufficiently complicated for me
to feel that the readers might welcome a
kind of guide to the series, since they were not written in the order
in which (perhaps) they should be read.
"The fourteen books, all published by Doubleday, offer a kind of
history of the future, which is, perhaps, not
completely consistent, since I did not plan consistency to begin with.
The chronological order of the books, in
terms of future history (and not of publication date), is as follows:
"1. The Complete Robot (1982). This is a collection of thirty-one
robot short stories published between 1940
and 1976 and includes every story in my earlier collection, I, Robot
(1950). Only one robot short story has been
written since that collection appeared. That is Robot Dreams, which
has not yet appeared in any Doubleday
collection. [Robot Dreams (1986) does contain it; see also Robot
Visions (1990)]
"2. The Caves of Steel (1954). This is the first of my robot novels.
"3. The Naked Sun (1957). The second robot novel.
"4. The Robots of Dawn (1983). The third robot novel.
"5. Robots and Empire (1985). The fourth robot novel.
"6. The Currents of Space (1952). This is the first of my Empire novels.
"7. The Stars, Like Dust-- (1951). The second Empire novel.
"8. Pebble in the Sky (1950). The third Empire novel.
"9. Prelude to Foundation (1988). This is the first Foundation novel
(although it is the latest written, so far).
[9a. Forward the Foundation (1993).]
[9b. Foundation's Fear (1997).] The first novel in the Second
Foundation Trilogy, it was written by Gregory
Benford. Takes place after the first chapter of Forward the Foundation.
[9c. Foundation and Chaos (1998).] The second novel in the Second
Foundation Trilogy, written by Greg
Bear. Takes place at the approximate time of Hari Seldon's trial.
[9d. Foundation's Triumph (previously titled Third Foundation and
Secret Foundation) (scheduled for
1999).] By David Brin.
"10. Foundation (1951). The second Foundation novel. Actually, it is a
collection of four stories, originally
published between 1942 and 1944, plus an introductory section written
for the book in 1949.
"11. Foundation and Empire (1952). The third Foundation novel, made up
of two stories, originally published
in 1945.
"12. Second Foundation (1953). The fourth Foundation novel, made up of
two stories, originally published in
1948 and 1949.
"13. Foundation's Edge (1982). The fifth Foundation novel.
"14. Foundation and Earth (1983). The sixth Foundation novel."
Note that this order is slightly wrong, in that Currents of Space actually
takes place after The Stars, Like Dust. Also
Foundation and Earth was published in 1986, not 1983.
*****************
A couple more notes. FOUNDATION had an early pb reprint as THE 1,000
YEAR PLAN and FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE as THE MAN WHO UPSET THE UNIVERSE.
The original Foundation trilogy has been published in an omnibus under
the name of (what else) THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY and the "Empire" trilogy
has been published in an omnibus as TRIANGLE; both of these are from
Doubleday and the Science Fiction Book Club. British editions of
these two omnibi are retitled respectively AN ISSAC ASIMOV OMNIBUS and
AN ISSAC ASIMOV SECOND OMNIBUS. (Catchy titles, those...)
Probably more than you wanted to know,
Dennis Lien / U of Minnesota Libraries // [removed]@tc.umn.edu
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